2015 Porsche Cayenne S Road and Trail Test

2015 Porsche Cayenne S Road and Trail Test

By: Trevor Hofmann

2015-08-21

The Cayenne is by far Porsche’s best selling model. Its 2,050-unit tally resulted in quite a bit more than half the brand’s entire

Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press

3,680 Canadian sales in 2013, and while its share of the Porsche pie didn’t pass the 50-percent mark last year with a total of 1,904 deliveries out of 4,933 Porsche’s sold, it was only because the new Macan added 1,223 units to that overall number, with what appears to have only been a slight parasitical effect on the Cayenne. With a full 12 months to sell Macans this year and an all-new 2015 Cayenne burning up the sales charts this will most definitely be another banner year for the Stuttgart-based brand.

Incidentally, July YTD Canadian sales of 3,787 Cayennes have already eclipsed total 2013 Porsche brand numbers. It should then come as no surprise that the Cayenne is still number one with 1,425 sales during these first seven months compared to 1,191 for the Macan, but something many Porsche fans don’t realize is that sales of all the other models combined, from the drop-top Boxster and sporty

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Cayman to the grand touring Panamera and the legendary 911 in its many body styles, don’t even account for the new Macan’s 2015 YTD total, let alone the Cayenne.

Why is it so successful? Before we get ahead of ourselves let’s make one thing clear, the Cayenne is successful for a Porsche, but it’s not exactly the best selling model in its mid-size luxury crossover segment. Granted a base price of $67,400 for its most modest 300 horsepower six-cylinder model puts it slightly out of reach of those who’s budgets won’t allow for anything higher than a $59,200 Audi Q7, $60,700 Volvo XC90, $62,200 Mercedes-Benz M-Class or $65,500 BMW X5, let alone

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the much larger group of premium buyers shopping in the $51,100 Lexus RX, $52,990 Acura MDX and $53,500 Infiniti QX70 market, but compared to the $75,490 base price of a Range Rover Sport the Cayenne is downright affordable. The premium SUV market is a strange animal, however, as despite the Range Rover’s steep base price it sold a solid 2,580 units last year, which is 530 more than the Cayenne, while the almost as pricy X5 found 5,470 buyers, and $62k M-B ML had 5,532 takers. Porsche still outsells Audi, Infiniti and Volvo in this class, but let’s keep the concept of success in perspective.

No one knows these sales numbers better than Porsche’s Canadian leadership, and

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while we can all spin the topic to the benefit of exclusivity, which is something to consider in the premium sector, I’m guessing they were happy to see an upgraded model arrive for 2015 along with the usual sales boost that goes with anything new. Most Cayenne fans will agree that it’s a knockout, with classic Porsche design cues up front, including the brand’s new trademark headlamps with their near perfectly square “four point” LED layout surrounding HID bulbs, plus gorgeous new LED taillights incorporating the same four point LED design. Other details differ depending on trim, my Cayenne S sporting an understated matte black grille insert, a stylish set of white turn signals above black straked corner vents, a simple set of circular fogs underneath, and matte black cladding down below. The cladding rings the Cayenne S’ lower extremities all-round, forming into a rear diffuser that gets pleasantly

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interrupted via a quad of round chromed tailpipes. Exhaust finishers aside it’s not the sportiest of Cayenne iterations, especially in white that doesn’t pull all the nice details out of its uniquely ovoid shape than darker colours do, but it’s a CUV that still commands plenty of attention and no one can argue against the pedigree of its modified Free People’s State of Württemberg’s black, red and gold crest.

Speaking of other versions, the base model already mentioned is joined by the $72,000 Cayenne Diesel, this $84,500 Cayenne S, the $87,700 plug-in Cayenne S E-Hybrid I reviewed previously, the $108,200 Cayenne GTS I most recently drove and will soon report on, the $129,500 Cayenne Turbo I missed out on during the new model launch program earlier this year (there was only one and I was more interested in covering this S trimmed model that I knew many more people would purchase

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and more intrigued by the S E-Hybrid that boasts some seriously advanced eco-technology), and finally the $178,100 Cayenne Turbo S (plus a surprisingly low $1,115 freight fee across the board). That represents a shockingly wide price differential, but believe me when I tell you that there’s a massive difference between the base Cayenne and the GTS, let alone one of the top-line Turbos.

Of course there are similarities from trim line to trim line, not all of which goes unseen. While some exterior details differ, as mentioned, and many interior accents, inlays and surface treatments, plus roofliner, pillar, steering wheel and seating materials vary considerably, the basic switchgear remains constant throughout the range. It all looks good, but the hollow plastics used and the way some

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buttons wiggled wasn’t ideal. Ditto for a number of other plastic surfaces throughout. Just the same the Cayenne S featured a high-quality soft-touch dash top that continued downward overtop the instrument panel’s upper half, plus additional pliable surfacing on the door panels from top to bottom, as well as both sides of the centre stack. Unlike the Audi Q7 that shares underpinnings with the Cayenne along with the Volkswagen Touareg, Porsche covers the glove box lid with the same soft surfacing as the lower portion of those door panels and the lower dash, the upper zone of the entire interior finished in black and the lower portions plus seat surfacing brightened up by a light tan colour Porsche dubs Luxor Beige, the two bisected by beautiful hardwood inlays and aluminum trim. Yet more aluminum can be found in key areas throughout the cabin, while those just mentioned leather-clad seats were some of the best I’ve tested, delivering wonderful comfort along with superb support.

Seats

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in mind the S is a milder variation on the Cayenne theme than the GTS or the two Turbos, Porsche taking a classier more comfort-oriented tact with this model compared to the racier threesome, so while nicely bolstered for performance driving the seats weren’t as aggressively shaped. They certainly didn’t leave my backside slip-sliding around when pushing the SUV through the many S curves I sought out during my two test drives, however, something the Cayenne is legendary for yet nevertheless something this latest model seems to improve upon. I first drove a Mahogany brown Cayenne S during the Canadian model launch program, along with the S E-Hybrid I mentioned earlier, while I was fortunate enough to get the aforementioned white one for a weeklong test more recently.

As part of the first stint I slung it through a particularly serpentine stretch of BC’s Sea

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to Sky highway that started at Canada’s skiing capital, Whistler (that had very little snow this year) and ended in Canada’s climbing capital, Squamish, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch under the famed Stawamus Chief mountain, fronted by the second largest granite rock face on earth. No, we didn’t off-road it to the top, but we did so nearby where it performed impressively, foraging through heavily treed woods, trudging through creek beds, climbing loose gravel and rock-strewn trails plus overcoming numerous other types of difficult terrain, including a couple of obstacles Porsche had set up to test the Cayenne’s off-road prowess and structural rigidity. One such example showed that the SUV’s doors and powered liftgate could be opened and closed simultaneously while it balanced on opposing wheels, the other two wheels hanging loosely in the air. That’s considerable

Back on the highway I was reminded of what makes the Cayenne different than most SUVs, its ability to rock crawl with the best of them yet diametrically opposed high-speed athleticism when on pavement. The Cayenne S remained rock solid within its lane when pushed hard, its stability supported via a traditional crossover-style fully independent steel-sprung suspension with double wishbones up front and multi-link rear setup, or the optional Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) air suspension, my former tester fitted with the latter and latter tester fitted with the former. PASM lets you raise the SUV’s suspension when off-road and then lower it again when heading back on pavement, or it’ll do so automatically as soon as speed increases. As you may have

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guessed it doesn’t take a whole lot of right-foot pressure to coax go-power from its brilliantly overzealous twin-turbocharged direct-injection 3.6-litre V6.

You might remember this engine from last year’s Macan Turbo, albeit in Cayenne S trim it makes 20 additional horsepower for a total of 420, plus 37 pound-feet more torque for 406, with full twist available from just 1,350 rpm. The Cayenne S gets fitted with an eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic gearbox that does a wonderful job of quick efficient shifts via beautifully finished paddle shifters, the mechanical duo combining with standard four-wheel drive to zip the hefty 2,085-kilo (4,596-lb) SUV to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds, or 5.4 if you add the Sport Chrono package. This makes it quicker than the previous Cayenne S despite the old one sporting a big fat V8, and while I won’t be the first to admit to missing the eight-cylinder’s rumbling exhaust note and menacing growl at full throttle, I can

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appreciate the smaller engine’s lighter mass over the front wheels and better overall efficiency, its fuel economy claimed to improve on the old V8 by about one litre per 100 kilometres (no official EnerGuide numbers have been released). I’m going to guess that most Cayenne buyers care about fuel economy as much as they worry about paying a 10-percent premium to fill up with high-octane fuel, but the change matters a whole lot to Porsche which needs to keep its brand-wide sights on strict global efficiency and emissions regulations so as not to be penalized by the powers that be.

To a

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ssist in this goal the Cayenne S gets an automatic idle start/stop system that as the name suggests, shuts the engine down when it would otherwise be idling. This is nothing new amongst hybrids, Porsche having a few HEVs of its own to pull the technology from, but now German premium manufacturers are leading the field when it comes to applying the fuel-saving feature to conventionally powered vehicles. While some have complained that it eliminates the joy of hearing the aforementioned rumbling powerplant at idle, there is no such rumble emanating from the Cayenne S so I, for one, prefer absolute silence instead. What’s more, while we often talk about how such technologies benefit the overall greenhouse gas problems of the world, there’s also something to be said about not having to breathe as many gaseous toxins in one’s immediate vicinity.

As you might expect from a premium SUV loaded with such efficiency and performance

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kit, the Cayenne S is hardly devoid of comfort and convenience features as well. Along with all the luxuries already mentioned the Cayenne S comes equipped with most of the features you’ll find in other premium SUVs, such as leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped multifunctional steering wheel, Bluetooth hands-free, rain-sensing intermittent wipers with heatable washers, a gorgeous analog clock at dash central, a high-resolution 4.8-inch TFT colour multi-information display, a high-resolution seven-inch TFT full-colour infotainment system with navigation, AM/FM/CD/DVD/MP3/RDS audio, dual-zone automatic climate control, heatable eight-way powered front Comfort seats, stainless doorsill plates, cruise control, an electric parking brake, a powered liftgate (which only powers up via the key fob, not down), 18-inch alloy wheels, tire pressure monitoring, all the regular active electronic driving aids and the usual assortment of airbags including two side-impact airbags for outboard rear passengers.

White and black are standard no-cost colours, while a choice of eight metallic hues including my first tester’s Mahogany Metallic will add $910 to the final tally and two “special” colours will push the price up by $3,590. My first tester had a set of 20-inch SportDesign II wheels adding $890 to the bottom line, although my more recent

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white Cayenne S included no-cost optional 19-inch Turbo wheels shod in 265/50R19 Goodyear Eagle LS tires; 18s are standard. Porsche offers 14 wheels altogether, ranging in price from those 20s just mentioned to a $4,750 set of black 21-inchers; 21-inch body-colour alloys can also be had for a cool customized look. The two-tone interior I mentioned earlier is no charge, with an all black or a full beige colour scheme available at no extra cost as well, while a bevy of other hides and colour combinations can be added. Additional options include 14- and 18-way powered seats with memory, a so-equipped Bose audio upgrade with superb sound quality, Premium and Premium Plus packages filled with loads of high-end features (my tester’s panoramic sunroof being a particularly nice addition), and a Sport package for upping the Cayenne S’ performance factor. While this paragraph keeps lengthening I haven’t even began to scrape the surface of available options, so spend a little time on the manufacturer’s website if you want to familiarize yourself with all that’s available.

After

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a week’s drive I only had three additional issues with the Cayenne S. First, I got tired of fumbling through my pockets in search of its key fob. Yes, it still doesn’t include proximity-sensing capability, while no pushbutton ignition system is available either (they could put it on the left to keep traditionalists happy if that’s the issue). It’s not like Porsche can’t access the technology because VW group’s Touareg and Audi Q7 offer both capabilities, so there must be some other reason for Porsche’s reluctance to offer such a convenient feature. Next, the beautifully finished stitched leather armrest/lid overtop the centre console bin was very difficult to open, requiring a forceful yank to pry upwards each and every time I tried, a process that made it sound and feel less than premium, although once exposed it offered access to a roomy storage compartment. My only other point of contention was the impressively innovative placement of the heated steering wheel button. Porsche has hidden it within the bottom split spoke of the steering wheel for easy access, but I kept clumsily clicking it on by mistake when turning the wheel. Fortunately a visual announcement on the multi-information display told me of the dastardly deed before it heated

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up and a second click immediately turned it off, but it was still an everyday annoyance that I’m going to guess could be overcome if more than a week was spent in the driver’s seat.

As mentioned that driver’s seat was wonderfully comfortable, but it was also designed for almost any body type, capable of being pulled far forward and raised higher for shorter folks and lowered considerably while slid so far rearward that my five-foot-eight frame could barely touch the pedals with legs stretched and toes pointed. Head, shoulder and hip room is also excellent up front, and yet better in back if only two are aboard. There’s a middle seat that’s amply comfortable when needed, or alternatively a centre armrest folds down to expose a set of cupholders. Fold the entire middle section down and you’ll be able to load in long items like skis while the two outboard seats are in use, or for when more cargo space is needed the 40/20/40 configured rear seatbacks can be lowered to increase the Cayenne’s 670 litres (23.6 cubic feet) of rear luggage space to a max of 1,780 litres (62.8 cubic feet). What’s

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more, the cargo area is finished in the best materials including high-grade carpets most everywhere, plus chromed tie downs and a gorgeous chrome protector plate. All in all the Cayenne S is as practical as it’s luxuriously sporty.